Peace activists set out for Syria from Berlin _ on foot

BERLIN (AP) — Several hundred peace activists have started what they say will be a months-long protest march from Berlin to war-ravaged Syria to urge an end to the fighting there.

The Civil March for Aleppo set off carrying white flags from Berlin's former Tempelhof Airport on Monday in cloudy, cold and blustery weather.

Organizers said they expect to cover about 20 kilometers (12 miles) a day and to take about 3 ½ months to walk through Germany, the Czech Republic, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey. Some will walk part of the way while others are invited to join along the route. Marchers are being told to provide their own sleeping gear and food.

Demonstrators with white flags silhouette in front of a cloudy sky as they wait for the launch of the Civil March for Aleppo at the air field of the former airport Tempelhof in Berlin, Monday, Dec. 26, 2016. With the march they demand help for the people of Aleppo and other cities in Syria. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Participants hope to at least reach Turkey's border with Syria and if possible the Syrian city of Aleppo, the recent scene of heavy fighting and widespread misery.

"It's time to act," the group wrote in a manifesto on its website. "We've had enough of clicking the sad or shocked faces on Facebook and writing, 'This is terrible.'"

Jaber Zaher Alger, a 28-year-old from Syria living in Germany, said that "the march and the people here express their humanity and I want to contribute to it. Other people in the world need to know that the situation in Syria is terrible."

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Online:

http://civilmarch.org

Demonstrators attend the Civil March for Aleppo in Berlin, Monday, Dec. 26, 2016. With the march they demand help for the people of Aleppo and other cities in Syria. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

Demonstrators wait for the launch of the Civil March for Aleppo at the air field of the former airport Tempelhof in Berlin, Monday, Dec. 26, 2016. With the march they demand help for the people of Aleppo and other cities in Syria. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

A demonstrator with white flag waits for the launch of the Civil March for Aleppo at the air field of the former airport Tempelhof in Berlin, Monday, Dec. 26, 2016. With the march they demand help for the people of Aleppo and other cities in Syria. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)

A demonstrator holds a white flag as she attends the Civil March for Aleppo at the air field of the former airport Tempelhof in Berlin, Monday, Dec. 26, 2016. With the march the demonstrators demand help for the people of Aleppo and other besieged cities in Syria. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)